


One Sunday morning

by prinz_charlie



Series: Wayhaught Week 2020 [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst™, Crying, F/F, Fire, Gen, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post Season 3, Wayhaught - Freeform, Wayhaught Week 2020, breakdown - Freeform, can't wait for season 4, first day of wayhaught week, nicole my dear angel i am so sorry, sunday morning, this physically hurt to write, wayhaughtweek2020, whw2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:41:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22639447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prinz_charlie/pseuds/prinz_charlie
Summary: It's been too long since she disappeared. It's been too many mornings that Nicole woke up without holding her. It's been too much for far too long.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Wynonna Earp & Nicole Haught
Series: Wayhaught Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628593
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	One Sunday morning

**Author's Note:**

> wayhaught week 2020 - day one: Sunday Morning
> 
> enjoy!

Nicole cuddled closer to Waverly, taking in her familiar scent. A small smile she wasn’t able of controlling made its way onto her lips. Keeping her eyes closed she wrapped her arms around Waverly. Her heartbeat that Nicole felt under her hands made her take in a calming breath. Only Waverly could have this effect on her - only her soft skin, and familiar scent, and the beam of sunshine that was her smile. Her smile that could light up every day, no matter how bad it was. The fact that they were together – that Waverly wasn’t just an unrequited crush but the love of her life – still felt like the most surreal thing that could’ve ever happened to her.

Everything was calm around the homestead. The last few days had been exhausting and draining her of all her powers, but it was all worth it. Because now she was lying here with Waverly in her room, the soft beams of the morning sun tickling her under her nose. Wynonna was still asleep; an odd silence filled the house.

Nicole pushed a strand of Waverly’s loose her to the side. “I love you”, she whispered, her voice still thick with sleep, nothing more than a mere whisper. The smile on Nicole’s lips grew bigger, when she felt Waverly moving under the blankets and sleepily turning around in her arms. “Already awake, baby?”, she chuckled slightly, opening her eyes leaning in to give Waverly a kiss.

But what she saw made her breath hitch. Instead of Waverly a black, scarred face looked at her. It opened its mouth and bared its yellow teeth. Nicole let out a scream of fear. She burst to the side, but before she could do anything, the black face started whispering words only Waverly would have understood.

Waverly.

Suddenly Nicole couldn’t move, as if the words had bound her to the bed.

“Where is she?”, she screamed with a high-pitched voice. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Where is Waverly?”

The creature muttered something under its breath and punched her in the face. Immediately Nicole felt blood dripping from her lip. She lifted her hands, trying to get a hold of the creature and knock it unconscious, but the scarred face was faster. It drew its sharp fingernails over her forehead, making blood trickle it down.

Nicole screamed with pain.

The creature stood up, muttered something and Nicole felt something filling her body. She regained control over her limbs and jumped up. But when she looked around, the creature was gone. The only thing it had left was a limp body on the floor.

Nicole let out a yelp. “Baby.” She sped over to where Waverly’s body was lying and fell to her knees next to her. “Waves, can you hear me?” She let her fingers wander over her forehead and took her in her arms, placing her head in her lap. “Waves, please, talk to me…”

Waverly gasped for air and Nicole’s heart skipped a beat. “Nicole-“, she started to say, but a cold air blast promptly cut her off. Nicole wanted to wrap her arms around Waverly and keep her safe from whatever was happening, but another, colder air blast followed, and darkness closed in on them. Waverly’s warmth was gone. All of a sudden, Nicole was holding onto darkness. Darkness that was now closing in on her. A spark in the darkness made her look up. Her breath hitched when she saw the start of a fire, that spread rapidly - growing bigger and bolder with every passing second. It was the same fire she had lost her aunt and uncle in. Nicole tried to stand up and run, but her body wouldn’t react. It stayed where it was. The fire came closer. The blood that was trickling from the cuts the creature had left now shot out of her forehead. Nicole screamed. With fear, with pain. The fire closed in on her, burned her whole body. Thick roots shot out of the fire and grasped after her, wound themselves around her torso, and started to pull, without a chance to escape.

Nicole woke up with a start, her chest rising and falling heavily. Her heart seemed to burst out of her chest. Cold beads of sweat were dripping down her forehead. Taking in a shaking breath she closed her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them again and looked around the only thing starring back at her was Calamity Jane, letting out a soft “Meow”. Nicole let a hand run through her red hair and crawled out of bed. What was the thing about nightmares that wore her out so much? She dragged herself to the kitchen of her apartment, closing her eyes to suppress the pictures of the nightmare.

She wouldn’t let herself think of _her_ again. She wouldn’t allow the hole inside of her chest to burst open again.

Sighing she made herself a cup of black coffee and took a sip. Sundays were her least favorite day of the week. It was that day, where usually not even work could distract her. On every other day of the week, she could just work and work and forget herself. But on Sundays she was left alone. Far too often she ended up at the homestead, talking to - and drinking with - Wynonna, ignoring the fact that she despised drinking to hide pain. Because there’s only so much pain a person can take, before they search for something to compensate it.

Her phone vibrated from the kitchen table. For a short moment she hoped that it was her. That _she_ was calling her, to tell her that she would finally return home. That everything was fine and that she was ok. That Nicole could finally answer to the proposal. That she could finally say yes. But it wasn’t her. It was Sheriff Nedley.

Nicole leaned against the counter and picked up. “What is it?”, she asked, her voice sounding strange and not quite like her own.

“Nicole”, Nedley answered. “Listen, I've got a situation over here. Do you think you can make it to the station?”

Nicole didn’t even think before nodding, she simply did. “Yeah sure. Be there in ten.” She hung up, downed the rest of the coffee and at a smart pace made her way to her bedroom. While getting dressed she already brushed her teeth; as always, she left the two top buttons of her shirt open and then put on a cap. Caps were able to hide the bags under her eyes. Natural that she got used to wearing them.

She stroked over Calamity Jane’s fur, put some cat’s food in a bowl and put the bowl down on the floor, since she didn’t know when she’d be back and then left. It didn’t take long for her to arrive at the station – driving without minding the speed limit had grown to be one of her special talents.

Getting out of the car she already smelled an odd smell, that made her cough a little. What was the smell? It was familiar, but what about it made her want to curl up and die?

Nicole made her way inside, pulling the cap into her face, and checking her phone for further messages.

“Nicole, you’re here!”, Sheriff Nedley made her look up. He was visibly distressed - had dark bags under his eyes as well.

Nicole pocketed her phone and went towards him. “Yeah, what is it?”

“Come on, I’ll show you.” Nedley started walking towards his office. Frowning Nicole followed him, not quite understanding what could be so important that she had to see it. It couldn't be that important, right? As soon as she entered Nedley's office, she knew that she was wrong. It _was_ that bad. Something was written on the wall. Big, red, scratchy letters spelled only one word.

Valdez

Nicole’s breath hitched. She remembered Wynonna showing the word to her. The fact that neither of them knew what it meant but still had a feeling deep down in their gut that it was dangerous didn't change the situation for the better. Nicole went towards the words, giving them a closer look.

“I already inspected them, but I still can’t wrap my head around it”, Nedley stated, taking a step forward. “And, well, I can’t show this to anyone but you, can I?”

“Yeah, sure, I understand”, Nicole murmured. She moved closer to the letters and smelled at one of them. She wrinkled her nose, and unconsciously her hand wandered to her forehead - right where the figure from the dream had sliced it open. “This is blood”, she whispered, turning towards Nedley. “Whoever wrote this, used blood.” An explosion in her brain made her thoughts turn. “Where’s Wynonna?”, she asked hurriedly.

“I don’t know, probably at the homestead”, Nedley muttered. “What about her?”

“Get her here”, Nicole stated. “Get her over here, Nedley. You go, I’ll stay here.”

“Wynonna’s a grown woman she can just come here alone”, Nedley stated, frowning slightly. “Besides, what does she have to do with this?”

Nicole turned towards him. “You really think Wynonna’s not drunk out of her wits right now?”, she asked. “No way she’s able to drive a car right now.”

Nedley sighed, hesitating for a second but then nodded. “Ok, sure. You be safe, Nicole.”

Nicole nodded. “You too, sheriff.”

With that she turned back to the letters and Nedley left. She let a hand run through her hair, taking in the scent once again. Snake. Suddenly she knew what the letters smelled like. Like a snake. Her breath hitched. A snake. Bulshar. No, it couldn’t be, he was dead! Wynonna killed him. He couldn’t be alive anymore!

But what if he was?

In the next moment Nicole was stuck in a cycle of trying to regain her breath and not falling into a panic attack. She was done with them; she wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to allow herself to break. Not once had she cried ever since Wynonna had told her. And she wouldn’t let that straight line of strength end. Not because Bulshar may still be alive.

Her breath hitched again at the thought. Stumbling out of Nedley’s office she placed her hands on the wall next to her, supporting herself, trying not to fall to the ground. She sat down in her office. The material of the chair abruptly felt like it was about to swallow her. Her hands started shaking – she didn’t want to plunge back into the fiery darkness of her dreams! Nicole reached out for one of the many records she kept on her desk to keep her busy and browsed through it. “Help”, she thought. “I need help. He mustn’t be alive.” What if he was in the garden with her? What if he was hunting for her and Doc? _She_ couldn’t die! Nicole wouldn’t let that happen! When the record didn't calm her down, she let it fall back on the desk and leaned back, her breathing growing erratic.

“Haught?”

Nicole looked up, right into the eyes of Wynonna, who was propping herself up on a shelf. Nedley was standing next to her. Nicole noticed her hands starting to knead itself, as if it would change the situation one slightest bit.

“You ok, Nicole?”, Nedley asked.

Nicole gasped for air, trying to answer, but nothing left her mouth. Not a single word. Only burning panic filled her.

Wynonna turned towards Nedley. “How about you beat it”, she instructed.

“I don’t understand what’s going on”, Nedley stated, but Wynonna already pushed him out of the room.

“Let’s just call it lady problems”, she said, closing the door. Wynonna turned to Nicole and without sparing a second walked up to her. “Come here, Haught”, she stated. The smell of alcohol her breath normally carried with itself didn’t fill the room this time. Apparently, she wasn't drunk yet. “Nedley told me about the letters”, she explained. “Look at me, Nicole.”

Nicole looked up, Wynonna’s eyes were big and caring. “Bulshar”, she choked out.

“I know”, Wynonna said. “And I know what you’re thinking about but you have to calm down.” She pulled a bottle of whisky from the pocket of her coat and handed it to Nicole. “I don’t care that this is stupid and unethical and whatnot but take a sip.” Without any resistance Nicole took the bottle and downed what was probably a quarter of it, closing her eyes as the burning liquor poured down her throat. With a look of shock Wynonna took the bottle again, took a big swig herself, and then put it down on the floor. “Look at me, Nicole”, she repeated, calmer this time. “We are going to get her out of there.” She pulled Nicole up from the chair.

Nicole’s hands were shaking, the burning the whisky had caused still hadn’t stopped. But something about it gave her clarity, reminded her that she wasn’t going crazy yet.

“Now you listen to me Haught. Pull yourself together”, Wynonna said, holding Nicole’s shoulders in a firm grasp. “You are a sheriff; you're used to staying calm. Now stay calm. You know just as well as I do that we’re going to get them back.”

“What if – what if Bullshar’s still out there? What if he’s in the garden with them?”, Nicole stuttered. “What if he’s going after them?”

“I don’t know”, Wynonna answered. “And I don’t care, as long as we can't be a hundred percent sure that Bullshar's still alive. We are going to get them out of there.”

“The blood”, Nicole whispered, her voice still shaking. “The blood the letters are written in… do you have a cut anywhere, or did you dream of one?”

Wynonna hesitated for a second. “Why would that matter?”, she fended the question off.

“Did you or did you not?”, Nicole insisted.

Wynonna took the bottle of whisky, took a sip and then nodded slightly. “I had a dream, about a creature, with a black scarred face”, she admitted. “But why the hell would that matter, Nicole?”

Nicole’s breath hitched. She slid down her desk, until she was sitting on the floor. “Because I had that dream, too”, she whispered. “Because I had a dream that I was holding her and then that thing attacked me and cut my forehead open and that then, when it had disappeared, she was lying on the floor. And I took her in my arms and wanted to protect her, but suddenly darkness and fire closed in on us and she was gone.”

Wynonna sat down next to Nicole, and put an arm on her shoulder. “We’re going to get her out of there”, she stated, her voice softer now.

“I’m just so scared”, Nicole whispered the truth. “I try to work and work and to forget, but I can’t.” She was starring down at her shoes now, only shaking slightly. “Every night I dream of her. I dream of how we would hold each other and how we’d spend the rest of our life’s together and…” Nicole looked up into Wynonna’s eyes. “Did I tell you that she proposed to me?”

Wynonna shook her head, her mouth falling slightly open.

“She proposed”, Nicole whispered. “And I didn’t get a chance to say yes. Right now, I’m stuck here, looking at her bonus blankets every day because she was always so cold and needed at least one bonus blanket to fall asleep.” Tears welled up in Nicole’s eyes. “And it's so hard to keep going. But on Sundays it’s even harder. Because we’d normally wake up in each other’s arms, and we’d cuddle. But now there’s nothing but emptiness.” Nicole silenced for a bit, looking down at her shoes that grew hazy in front of her eyes. “I just love her so much”, she whispered. “I’ve never loved someone the way that I love her. And if Bullshar’s still out there…” When she looked up at Wynonna again, she could barely see her from behind the curtain of tears. “I can’t lose her, Wynonna.” She shook her head. “I can’t lose Waverly”, she breathed out her name.

As if her name made everything collapse, the tears now wouldn’t stop rolling down her cheeks and Nicole let Wynonna embrace her in a hug. It was awkward, and weird, but it was everything she needed right now.

“Sorry”, Nicole whispered, when she pulled back.

“It’s ok”, Wynonna stated. “We’re going to figure this out, alright? You and I, and Nedley and Jeremy and Robin.”

Nicole nodded. “Ok.”

“And you’re staying with me on the homestead from now on”, Wynonna stated matter-of-factly. “Because neither of us can afford becoming insane right now.”

Nicole nodded again, chuckling slightly at Wynonna's tone. “Ok.”

With that they silenced. They settled on handing each other the bottle from time to time, until it was empty, and Wynonna pulled another one from her pocket.

Nicole held on to the hope that they would get her back from now on. That one Sunday morning she’d wake up holding Waverly in her arms, breathing in her familiar scent, and feeling her soft, warm kisses. One Sunday morning, somehow, she would be back.

**Author's Note:**

> Nicole had to suffer, I'm sorry. But thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it! Feel free to follow me on tumblr (@haveuseenmylife and @daltezing) and gush about Wynonna Earp, Wayhaught or whatever! Tysm for reading again and I'll read you next time! 
> 
> PS: if you wanna leave a comment or kudos or something,, just feel free to do so, it honestly makes my day!


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